West Hollywood rejects construction bid for AIDS Monument project due to escalating costs

Ontario Construction News staff writer

West Hollywood council has rejected the lone bid for construction and cancel the current Design-Build RFP process for STORIES: The AIDS Monument, because of the escalating construction costs.

The $14.1-million bid by PCL Construction was about increase of $9.4 million over the original $4.67 million 2020 estimate.

Rick Abramson, architect and manager of the city’s Urban Design and Architecture Studio, called the bid “rather surprising … in terms of the cost of the monument and the length of time it would take to construct it.”

He told council that a debriefing with PCL confirmed a variety of factors, including market forces, issues related to detailing and scope of work, availability of materials, and time frame in terms of the supply chain and a number of other considerations.

“It didn’t seem prudent to move forward with that process,” he said.

The project, located in West Hollywood Park along San Vicente Boulevard, is a collaboration between the Foundation for the AIDS Monument and the City of West Hollywood, to memorialize the devastation of HIV/AIDS on our nation, honor the courageous activists, caregivers, and community leaders through their STORIES, and raise awareness about the history and stigma of living with HIV/ AIDS.

Last year, the city initiated a RFQ/ RFP process to select a Design-Build Entity (DBE). Due to market conditions, level of document quality and scoping, and a limited number of local design-build entities with experience in public art, there was only one team that responded.

Due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to market forces, monument related detailing and scope, material availability, a dearth of bidders, project labor costs, and design-build consultant fees, this bid “drastically exceeds the originally anticipated project budget”, and staff does not consider it to be a viable option for moving forward.